Daisuke Takahashi
in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan is a Japan Figure skater. He is the 2006–2008 Japan, the 2008 Four Continents Champion, and the 2007 World silver medalist. He represented Japan. Latest News __TOC__ Videos Trivia Quote Career Takahashi began figure skating when he was 8 years old. Because a skating rink was built near his house, he went to watch skaters at the rink with his mother and therefore enrolled in the figure skating club. His mother intended to let him enroll in the Ice hockey club, but he didn't like the protective gear of ice hockey. Because a figure skating club practiced close to the ice hockey club, he chose figure skating instead. Takahashi had an excellent junior career, winning Junior Worlds in 2002, in his first (and only) time at that competition. Takahashi is the first Japanese man to win the World Junior Championships. The following season, he turned senior, and his ascent slowed. Takahashi struggled with consistency and in the first few years of his senior career. He went into the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships, the event which would qualify Olympic spots to the 2006 Winter Olympics, as the reigning Four Continents bronze medalist. He was the second Japanese man on the team, after Takeshi Honda. However, after Honda was forced to withdraw due to injury, it fell on Takahashi to qualify spots to the Olympics for Japan. Takahashi placed 15th, qualifying only one spot for the Japanese men. In the 2005–2006 season, Nobunari Oda emerged as a challenger for the Olympic spot. Oda and Takahashi both had very good Grand Prix seasons. At the 2005-2006 Japanese nationals, however, Oda was declared the winner, but his gold medal was revoked when an error with the scoring machinery was found out. Takahashi was awarded the gold. The Japanese Skating Federation split the international assignments and gave Takahashi a spot to the Olympics and Oda a spot to Worlds. At the Olympics, Takahashi was in a medal position, but had a poor long program and placed 8th overall. In the 2006–2007 competitive season, Takahashi won a silver medal at Skate Canada International, then gold at the NHK Trophy. He qualified for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and placed second, although he was ill. He won the Japanese National title for the second year in a row, and then went on to the Winter Universiade in Torino, Italy and won that event as well. At the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships he performed the skate of his life in front of his home country and ended up winning the silver medal. This was the first silver medal for Japan in the men's event at Worlds. Following that season, Takahashi was ranked first in the World. However, over the summer the ISU tweaked their scoring criteria and he fell to second. This was in part because Takahashi was ranked ahead of Brian Joubert, who had swept the season. Takahashi had been placed above due to his winning the Winter Universiade, a competition for which Joubert was not eligible because Joubert is not a university student. In the 2007–2008 season, he won his Grand Prix Events and placed 2nd in Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. A few weeks later, he won his third Japan and was selected for the 2008 Four Continents Champion and the 2008 World Championships. Takahashi won the 2008 Four Continents Champion, scoring a new record in the free skate (175.84) and in the total score (264.41) under the ISU Judging System. He was considered a favorite heading into the 2008 World Championships but finished off the podium after a disappointing free skate in which he fell on his second quad toe attempt, stumbled on a triple Axel and loop, and performed an extra combination which did not count towards his points total. Takahashi was originally assigned to the 2008 Cup of China and the 2008 NHK Trophy for the 2008-9 Grand Prix season. He withdrew from the Cup of China due to a knee injury suffered in practice. It was later reported that Takahashi would undergo surgery to repair ligament damage and his right miniscus and will miss the entire 2008-9 season. Coaching change Takahashi is a student at Kansai University, along with Nobunari Oda. For several years, he split his time between Hackensack, New Jersey, where he trained under coach Nikolai Morozov, and Osaka, where he trains under coach Utako Nagamitsu. In May 2008, Takahashi announced that he would be parting ways with Morozov. In May 2008, Nikolai Morozov explained the split by stating that he could no longer coach Takahashi because of problems with Takahashi's new agent. Programs . Competitive highlights Post-2004 * WD= Withdraw * Takahashi did not compete in the 2008–2009 season. Pre-2004 References Category:Japanese figure skaters Category:Mens skaters Category:Junior mens skaters Category:World junior champions